Redthorn Road Book 1: True Trust
by kelekona
Summary: Two people have secrets that they don't want to share with anyone...so of course they are soulmates. I don't own Night World nor am I making any $ off of this. Please R&R (I will even accept Flames, as I know I will get some for killing two very good ch
1. Part 1

True Trust  
  
Part One  
  
  
  
"Leave her alone!" Polaris-Willow Redfern heard her father shout at the man who was about to knock her mother over the head. The men had tied his hands and feet together with bast ropes and he could do nothing for her.  
  
"Mommy." Polaris-Willow whispered helplessly. She could feel her brother Sirius-Oak stiffen behind her in anger.  
  
The man looked at Daddy with malicious laughter in his eyes and brought his club down for a crushing blow on Mommy's head-  
  
Polaris-Willow shot up in bed; she almost screamed "NO!" but she stopped herself. She could feel the ice cold sweat trickling down her skin; her breath came out quick, shallow, and scared. Polaris-Willow lay back on her bed trying with all her might to calm herself. 'Just calm down, it was only a bad dream,' she told herself. 'Like hell it was a dream!' another part of her shot back, 'A dream you have every night for half your life?! I don't think so!'  
  
When she had calmed herself down enough, Polaris-Willow looked at her alarm clock. It was 4:30 am. "Oh, Goddess!" she muttered wearily under her breath. She hadn't gotten to bed until about three hours ago and she had to get up at 6:00 am. Polaris-Willow turned her face away from the clock and stared up at the ceiling.  
  
She lay there quietly for a moment, and then she reached out with her mind to brush those of her sisters and brothers. The touch was feather light, but enough for her to know that she had not woken any of them up. She reached out a little further in the house looking for Aunt Poppy and Uncle James; they weren't in their room. Then she found them, in the kitchen, she had not disturbed them. But Aunt Poppy knew she was awake now. Polaris-Willow pulled back sighing, she knew that her aunt would be up to check on her.  
  
Polaris-Willow thought about how strange it was that she and her brothers and sisters called Poppy, James, and several other people aunt and uncle, even though the were not really aunts an uncles. James was actually her father's first cousin and Poppy was his soulmate and wife. Then again they had more or less been parents to her for half her life… ever since her mom and dad had died.  
  
Just then Aunt Poppy gently knocked on the door. Polaris-Willow said nothing, but her aunt came in without waiting for a reply. She came over to Polaris-Willow's bed and sat on the edge. Poppy, though in reality in about her forties, looked not a day older than 16, when James had turned her into a vampire because she was dying. Her red hair was a bright flame in the hall light, and her eyes were shining emeralds in the dark.  
  
"Polaris, what's wrong?" Poppy asked worriedly.  
  
"Nothing, just a bad dream," Polaris-Willow told her, trying to sound nonchalant, "I'm fine now."  
  
"Polaris-Willow Redfern, you are 16 years-old and one of the bravest people I know," her aunt told her in a slightly scolding, slightly scornful voice, "Your do not wake up at 4:30 in the morning over 'just a bad dream' for Goddess' sake. Now what is wrong?"  
  
Polaris-Willow said nothing, looking away from her aunt.  
  
"It was about your parents wasn't it?"  
  
Polaris-Willow shrugged uncomfortably, still looking away from Poppy.  
  
"Polaris, I really wish your would talk to someone about what happened," Poppy said, her worry very evident on her face, "It is not good to keep all of this inside."  
  
"And talking about it is supposed to make it all go away!?" Polaris- Willow almost shouted back fiercely, finally facing her aunt.  
  
Poppy looked hurt. "I only think that sharing what you have been through might help you live with the burden better," Poppy told her earnestly.  
  
Polaris-Willow saw how much she had hurt her aunt. "Aunt Poppy, I'm sorry for what I said, but I just don't think I am ready to share this, even though it has been eight years. Plus I don't want to burden anyone else with this knowledge. I have to be strong," Polaris-Willow told her gently.  
  
"Polaris, you have not cried in eight years. You have dedicated your life to hunting down the people who killed your parents. You grew up in record time, and you are always there to help someone who needs it," Poppy said in gentle reproof, "How much stronger do you need to be?"  
  
"Aunt Poppy, please!" Polaris-Willow said, sounding a little desperate, "I'm just not ready."  
  
Poppy looked worried, but understanding.  
  
"I'm going to go for a swim before I get ready for school," Polaris- Willow told her, with finality in her voice.  
  
Poppy nodded silently.  
  
Polaris-Willow got up and went to her dresser. Poppy watched her as she looked for a suit. Then sighing got up and silently left.  
  
Polaris-Willow paused for a moment and looked up into the mirror on her dresser. Looking back at her was a 16 year-old girl who was medium height and willowy with ash blond hair, creamy skin, and soulful eyes that changed colors with her moods. All her friends said that she looked very fragile but at the same time so strong, and even though she lived more or less like a human you could still see her vampire heritage. Polaris-Willow then looked at a picture on her dresser. It was of her mother and father. Her eyes and hair were like her father, Ash Redfern's, ash blond and eyes that changed colors, however while hers changed strictly by her moods, her father's had changed moment to moment, her older brother Sirius-Oak and her youngest sister Andromeda-Lavender had eyes that changed like that. Having eyes that shifted color was a dead give away that someone was a Redfern, the major lamia family.  
  
Lamia were the family vampires, ones that were born vampires, could have children, grow up and stop aging whenever they wanted to. Made vampires, like Aunt Poppy, were people who had been turned into vampires by another vampire. Once someone was made into a vampire they stopped aging and you could not make someone over 19 a vampire. But once someone was a vampire they were more or less just like lamia, faster and stronger than humans, immortal and never got sick. That was why Uncle James had changed Aunt Poppy, she had been dying of cancer. At the time it was against the laws and put both of them in danger. But Polaris-Willow knew that neither of them truly regretted it, though there was one down fall that she knew saddened them both: made vampires could never have children. Raising Polaris-Willow and her siblings helped ease the pain a little though.  
  
Aunt Poppy and Polaris-Willow's mother, Mary-Lynette Carter Redfern, had been close friends. Polaris-Willow looked at the picture again thinking how beautiful she was, dark hair, and brilliant blue eyes, the only way that she resembled her mother was in her facial structure. However, Vega- Iris, Polaris-Willow's twin sister, looked just like their mother in every respect it seemed except for her eyes, which were shaped like their father's.  
  
Polaris-Willow looked over at her sister's empty bed and felt a pang of loneliness. She envied her sister's beautiful coloring, sweet voice and musical abilities, but she missed her right now. Vega-Iris was on a trip with the choir, she would be home that afternoon, but Polaris-Willow wouldn't see her until after school.  
  
Polaris-Willow sighed and tried to shake the feeling off. She got back to looking for a suit and finally found one. Polaris-Willow slipped it on and hurried down stairs.  
  
Polaris-Willow stood on the dock looking out over the pond, it was 5:15 and the sky was turning a pale gray-blue, the sun would not be up for at least a quarter of an hour yet.  
  
It was so quiet, so peaceful. 'Why can't the world always be like this?' Polaris-Willow wondered to herself. She sighed, pulled on her goggles and jumped in.  
  
  
  
Ruhe Drache stood in the kitchen making breakfast. 'Why the hell am I here?' he wondered to himself, 'I didn't even want to do this! So why did I come?' Even as he asked himself the question he knew the answer, 'Because Mom, Dad, Aunt Iliana, Uncle Blade and Nicola thought it would be good for me. And because Mom, Aunt Iliana and Nicola, especially Nicola, know how to get to my weak spots in order to get what they want.'  
  
Ruhe sighed and shook his head with self-disgust. It really had been Nicola who had finally convinced him to come here. It was amazing that a tiny, 4'8, 15 year-old, human girl could manipulate a much taller, much stronger, 18 year-old, shapeshifter. For Goddess' sake he was the second born son of the First House of Shapeshifters, if it got out that his biggest weak spot was his wakened old soul cross cousin he would be a laughing stock! But then again the girl had always had a natural talent of being so sweet and persuasive that she could charm squirrels down from the trees. He chuckled at that thought.  
  
Just then he heard someone coming down the stairs. "Speak of the devil," he muttered to himself ironically, "Morning!" he called out.  
  
"Good-morning!" Nicola answered, "Are those pancakes, hash browns and sausages I smell?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And why would you be going to so much trouble for such an extravagant breakfast I wonder?" Nicola asked, crossing her arms, with an eyebrow raised and a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She was looking at him in a challenging way and even though she was standing there in her nightgown it took all of Ruhe's strength not to go to pieces.  
  
"I am hoping that this will soften you up a little and maybe you will let me change your mind so we can go home," he told, he glanced at her, slyly, out from the corner of his eye, "Is it working?"  
  
"No, I am determined to stay and you will stay with me, no matter what," she informed him looking defiant.  
  
"I knew you were going to say something like that," he said dryly.  
  
"So, are you ready for our first day of school?" Nicola asked setting the table.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be," Ruhe admitted, in defeat.  
  
"Why can't you at least try to be excited about this?" Nicola asked pleadingly, "I mean this is supposed to be and adventure of sorts."  
  
Ruhe looked at he over the pancakes he was serving. 'Damn it! She has that look!' he thought, 'I hate it when she gives me that look, she knows that I will give.'  
  
"All right! I'll try," he told her grudgingly.  
  
Nicola smiled brightly. 'Admit it,' he ordered himself, 'giving is worth seeing that smile on her face.'  
  
Nicola was more like a little sister than a cousin to Ruhe and that was how he thought of her. He would die for her if he had to. 'You are going to die for her,' the thought came from somewhere deep inside him. He quickly pushed it aside, he didn't need to think about that. Nicola certainly didn't need to be reminded of that.  
  
"So what class are you most excited for?"  
  
  
  
Polaris-Willow climbed out of the water and sat on the dock. She pulled her knees up to her chest as she watched the sun slowly rise. She smiled, she loved almost anything that involved the sky, particularly the stars.  
  
The swim had been good for her. She didn't care much for sports that was Sirius-Oak's "thing", but exerting energy felt good and it got her mind off of the "real world".  
  
Polaris-Willow glanced at her watch, 6:00, she should get ready for school now. She sighed and drew herself to her feet. She took one last look at the sunrise, colors dancing, then she walked toward her house.  
  
She grabbed her towel from the tree branch where she had left it and wrapped herself in it.  
  
She opened the door and walked into the kitchen. Sirius-Oak was sitting at the table helping their middle brother, Leo-Sumac, with some homework.  
  
"Have a rough night?" Sirius-Oak asked, not looking up.  
  
"NOYB," Polaris-Willow told him curtly as she grabbed a bagel.  
  
Sirius-Oak snorted and said, "Anything you say Star."  
  
Polaris-Willow nodded and ruffled Leo-Sumac's hair, just to annoy him.  
  
"Hey! Watch it!" Leo-Sumac ordered her.  
  
Polaris-Willow chuckled as she left the room. She ran up the stairs to get the shower before someone else did.  
  
  
  
Ruhe was finishing up some of the school paper work for Nicola. When it asked for her date of birth, Ruhe nervously ran his fingers through his dark hair. No one knew Nicola's real birthday, she had been abandoned when she was an infant. Aunt Iliana and Uncle Blade had found her and ended up adopting her. When Nicola turned 6 they had preformed a blood-tie ceremony and made her their blood daughter. Nicola was proud to bear the name Harman; it was the name of the head family of witches, it was a shortening of their real name Hearth-woman. Those that bore the name Harman were those that had descended directly through a female line of witches all the way back to Hellewise Hearth-woman, daughter of Hecate the Witch Queen. There were not too many Harmans around, but Nicola did have two blood sisters and a blood brother.  
  
Ruhe blew out a breath and put down what the family had designated as her birthday, the day that they found her.  
  
Just then Nicola hurried in, "How's this?" she asked twirling around so he could inspect her outfit, a turquoise T-shirt and a blue denim skirt.  
  
"It looks great!" he told her.  
  
"Well I'm ready to go then!" she said cheerfully, flipping her braid over her shoulder. The end was fastened with a hair-tie that had a black lily on it, the symbol of Old Souls. Ruhe wore a watch on his wrist that had a black iris in the middle, the symbol of a popular club.  
  
"Right," he said gathering up his stuff. They hurried out of the house and to the car.  
  
"Hurry!" Nicola told him excitedly, "I don't want to be late!"  
  
  
  
Polaris-Willow stood in front of her mirror examining her outfit, a black sleeveless shirt, blue jeans with a black crocheted shawl tied around her waist and a pair of black boots, she tucked a versatile wooden/iron/silver knife under the shawl. Her hip length hair was twisted into a bun held by two black wooden hair-sticks, good to use when in a pinch. In her ears she wore simple studs in her lobes and a black hoop in the cartilage. She wore a silver choker, and armband. Polaris-Willow nodded approvingly at her reflection, yeah she was ready for just about anything.  
  
Then she looked at her right hand. On her fourth finger there was a ring, it had a black rose and white lily twined together, the craftsmanship was exquisite, every leaf, thorn perfect; until three years ago Polaris- Willow had always worn it on a thin gold chain because it had been too big for her finger, but now it fit and she rarely took it off. Her parents had intended to give it to her for her tenth birthday, but they had died and Aunt Poppy and Uncle James had given it to her early. The black rose was the symbol of the vampires and the white lily that of the humans, her heritage. Goddess, she missed them.  
  
Polaris-Willow pushed those thoughts away, took one last glance in the mirror, grabbed her purse and hurried downstairs.  
  
"Hey!" she shouted, "All heading to the junior high and high schools early get in the car pronto!"  
  
"Coming!" came a shout. Polaris-Willow's 13 year-old sister, Ursa- Violet, came running.  
  
"Why are you coming to school so early?" Polaris-Willow asked her.  
  
"I have my first day of tutoring," Ursa-Violet told her.  
  
"Riiiight, why do you need a tutor, you get strait A's in all your courses?" Polaris-Willow asked her skeptically.  
  
"Welllll…" Ursa-Violet started nervously, "My grade in history has fallen a little."  
  
"How much is a little?" Polaris-Willow asked looking at her skeptically.  
  
"I-I-," Ursa-Violet stammered, "I'm getting a B!" sounding rather distressed.  
  
"Ursa," Polaris-Willow told her patiently, "a B is not that bad, it is still above average."  
  
"I know!" Ursa-Violet told her passionately, but it is not good for me, or you for that matter!"  
  
"I plead the 5th," Polaris-Willow told her coolly, Ursa-Violet laughed. Polaris-Willow had always thought that having a younger sister who got those kinds of jokes was great. Ursa-Violet, like Polaris-Willow had skipped two years of school, Polaris-Willow was a senior and Ursa- Violet was a freshman, both in high school.  
  
"I would be pleading it too in your position, young lady!" Ursa- Violet said with mock scolding, they both ended up laughing.  
  
To be continued… 


	2. Part 2

True Trust  
  
Part 2  
  
"Are you sure you don't want me to help you look for your classes?" Ruhe asked Nicola worriedly.  
  
"I'm positive," she assured him, "It's not that big of a school and I'm not a baby anymore, I'm 15, I can take care of myself."  
  
"Well you do that pretty well any way," he grudgingly admitted. And she did, Old Souls may have been only humans that kept getting reborn many times, but every time they were reborn they became more knowledgeable and clearheaded since they accumulate more knowledge with each lifetime. But that also made them rather cryptic at times; sometimes it seemed like Nicola could read Ruhe's mind, and it was rare that Old Souls were able to fall in love; they were so hard to hold onto. The only cases that when they did fall in love were the rare cases of soulmates.  
  
Soulmates. Ruhe felt a lump form in his throat; he had yet to find his. But maybe this was for the better, he probably would die soon after they found each other and he couldn't put someone in that position to be hurt so badly.  
  
"Hey! Yoo-hoo! Anybody home?" Nicola asked, snapping her fingers in front of his face.  
  
"What?" Ruhe asked dazedly, startled out of his thoughts.  
  
"You know, you have been doing that a lot lately," Nicola told him worriedly.  
  
"Doing what?"  
  
"Staring off into space like that."  
  
"I just have a lot on my mind right now."  
  
"Well, anyway," Nicola started skeptically, "I was saying that I will see you at lunch, OK?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," Ruhe said.  
  
"See you later then!" Nicola said cheerfully.  
  
"Later," he said watching her leave. For the first time in a long time Ruhe really looked at Nicola and found that she was right, she wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a young woman, but at the same time there were still some things about her that were a little childish.  
  
Ruhe shook his head and shrugged, 'I dunno,' he thought to himself.  
  
  
  
Polaris-Willow was about a mile from school, chatting with her sister when suddenly something "hit" her.  
  
"Oh Goddess!" she gasped, putting her hand over her mouth.  
  
"What?" Ursa-Violet asked.  
  
"I just remembered that people moved in across the pond from us!" Polaris-Willow murmured.  
  
"So?" her sister asked.  
  
" 'So' I haven't even found out their names!" she exclaimed, "How can I do a background check on them to make sure that they are safe?!"  
  
"For Goddess' sake Polaris! Sometimes I think that you are way too paranoid!" Ursa-Violet told her rolling her eyes.  
  
"I am doing this for our own safety!" Polaris-Willow told her, "Do you want to end up like Mom and Dad?!"  
  
"Polaris, we are extremely carefully, if we were any more careful we would be living in a plastic bubble!"  
  
"I am not that protective!" Polaris-Willow said indignantly, then she looked a little unsure, "Am I?"  
  
"Hell yeah!" Ursa-Violet told her.  
  
"Hey!" Polaris-Willow snapped, "Watch the language!"  
  
"You say 'hell' a lot!" Ursa-Violet retorted.  
  
"Yeah? Well that doesn't mean you should say it!" Polaris-Willow shot back.  
  
"What ever!" Ursa-Violet said waving her hand in a dismissive gesture, "We are getting off of the point. The point is that you need to lighten up a little."  
  
"Starting with…?" Polaris-Willow asked expectantly.  
  
" 'Starting with' giving Leo and I more freedom," Ursa-Violet informed her, "Neither of us are little kids anymore! I'm 13 and he is 14 and we are both freshmen in high school for crying out loud!"  
  
"All right! Goddess! I'll talk to Aunt Poppy and Uncle James," she conceded, "We'll see what we can work out. Happy?!"  
  
Ursa-Violet nodded approvingly, and somewhat smugly.  
  
'And she wants to be a doctor?!' Polaris-Willow thought, 'She should be a freaking lawyer!'  
  
Polaris-Willow rarely gave, but when she did it was only to her brothers and sisters and it was still rare when she gave to them, especially when it involved family safety. 'I must be getting soft,' she thought. But she did have to admit that she kept her brothers and sisters on short leashes. 'It's only because I worry about them.' She had great incentive to worry, the images of her parents' dead bodies floated into her mind, but she immediately pushed the images away. If Ursa-Violet picked up on the images it would cause her great distress. Plus, Polaris-Willow didn't need to think about that anyway.  
  
  
  
Polaris-Willow stood in front of her locker twirling her combo. When she was done she tried to open it, it wouldn't open.  
  
"Oh, come on!" she protested, jiggling the locker.  
  
"Hey got a problem?" came a friendly female voice.  
  
"Oh, hi Saphrin," Polaris-Willow responded, "My locker is jammed again."  
  
"Again?!" she said incredulously, "That's–What?-the 12th time this week?"  
  
"15th actually," Polaris-Willow told her dryly.  
  
Saphrin shook her head. "Here, let me try something." Polaris- Willow motioned her to go ahead.  
  
Polaris-Willow watched her work. Polaris-Willow and Saphrin had been best friends since first grade and they knew each other as well as sisters, a little too well for Polaris-Willow sometimes. Saphrin was like a carbon copy of her mother, Thea Harman, Aunt Thea as Polaris-Willow and her siblings called her. Saphrin had the trademark blond Harman hair and gentle brown eyes. Though their eyes were different colors and their hair was different shades, people often said that Polaris-Willow and Saphrin looked more like twins than Vega-Iris and Polaris-Willow did. Polaris- Willow and Saphrin were cousins of sorts, but very distant. The Redferns and Harmans had done a blood tie a few centuries ago by Hunter Redfern and Maeve Harman.  
  
Polaris-Willow watched Saphrin do some witchy things to her lock. When she was done Saphrin shook her head in disgust.  
  
"What's wrong?" Polaris-Willow asked.  
  
"One of Lina's 'jokes'," Saphrin replied humorlessly.  
  
Relina Harman was the daughter of Blaise Harman, Thea's first cousin, but they were more like sisters. Saphrin and Relina were similarly close, but Saphrin never put up with Relina's antics.  
  
"What did she do to it?" Polaris-Willow asked, pressing her lips together and crossing her arms.  
  
"It's a pretty simple hex, I can easily remove it," Saphrin assured her, but Polaris-Willow knew that Saphrin would give Relina a "blast" later.  
  
"Thank you," Polaris-Willow said.  
  
"No problem," Saphrin told her as she did some more witchy things.  
  
Ten minutes later Saphrin stood up with a satisfied, "There." She motioned Polaris-Willow to open her locker.  
  
Polaris-Willow held her breath in anticipation and released it again when the locker opened.  
  
"Thanks a million Saph!" Polaris-Willow said with gratitude in every word.  
  
"Like I said before, no problem," Saphrin told her, "I have to get to Zoology, so I'll see ya later, kay?"  
  
"See ya!"  
  
Polaris-Willow gathered her books for her first period class, Astronomy, one of her two favorite classes. The other was English and that was second period.  
  
Just then the bell rang.  
  
"Goddess! I'm late!" Polaris-Willow cried.  
  
She ran up the stairs to the 2nd floor to the classroom, but when she reached the door she stopped, composed herself, quietly opened the door, coolly walked in and quietly closed the door again. The teacher, Mr. Lawson, was standing at the front of the class lecturing, he didn't so much as spare a glance for her, much less scold her for being late. It was funny how so many humans thought that she, being a Night Person, would hurt them if they did something to make her mad. Most of the students hadn't even noticed her entrance except for her brother, Sirius-Oak, who glanced up at her when she sat down in her seat beside him. He raised a questioning eyebrow, but Polaris-Willow shook her head more or less saying, "Don't ask." He shrugged his shoulders and bent back over his notes and some star charts again.  
  
Polaris-Willow opened her notebook, blocked out Mr. Lawson's voice and started making notes about the charts. This was technically Astronomy Honors, but Polaris-Willow and Sirius-Oak were beyond honors and in a special college course. But they were the only ones, so they were put with the honors students and just given work that was up to their level.  
  
Polaris-Willow was concentrating so hard that when a wad of paper hit her foot she almost didn't notice it. She discreetly glanced around looking for the sender; her gaze was met by her distant cousin Becky Redfern, who nodded when Polaris-Willow gestured at herself. Polaris- Willow bent down and picked up the wad. She uncrumpled it and read what it said, ~Are you going to the Meeting?~  
  
Polaris-Willow wrote her response underneath, ~Hell yeah! I never miss! You know that!~ She recrumpled the paper, knocked it on the floor again and kicked it forward. A person two seats in front of her kicked it across the isle to Becky, who picked it up. After a few seconds Becky glanced back and gave Polaris-Willow a slight smile. Polaris-Willow smiled back.  
  
Polaris-Willow and Becky had a few things in common: Becky was half human with a Redfern vampire father and a human mother. Her father, Delos Redfern, was one of the Wild Powers that had saved the Millennium. Becky's mother, Maggie Neely Redfern, and Delos were soulmates. Becky was dark haired like both of her parents and had brown eyes like her mother's. Those eyes were more often than not filled with a stubborn and challenging light. That stubbornness was put to use in hunting evil Night People, which was a profession that both of them shared.  
  
Just then another note hit her foot, Polaris-Willow picked it up, it said, ~Dumb question, but watch the attitude, girl!~  
  
~And what can you do to me if I don't?~ she wrote back.  
  
When Becky read the note she glared at Polaris-Willow, who looked back mockingly. Becky gave Polaris-Willow the finger and mouthed, "F*ck you," at her. Polaris-Willow smirked at her. They both retuned to their work, Polaris-Willow laughing inwardly.  
  
  
  
How the hell he hadn't seen or heard her come in was beyond him. Ruhe was staring at the back of the-girl-in-front-of-him's head, her hair was ash blond and done up in a bun held by two hair sticks.  
  
He hadn't really noticed her until she had bent down to pick up a note on the floor by her foot that another girl two row and across the isle had sent back to her. He watched them exchange notes a couple times until the girl two rows up received a note that apparently pissed her off a little, gave the other girl the finger and mouthed, "F*ck you," at her. Ruhe got the feeling that neither of them was really that mad at the other.  
  
The teacher, Mr. Lawson, apparently was either blind or just didn't give a d*mn as to what his students were doing. He hadn't protested once when the girls had their silent conversation and he hadn't scolded the girl in front of him for being late, as Ruhe knew she was.  
  
Ruhe shook his head and continued to take notes on the lecture, though he did observe his classmates. They were only a few miles outside of Las Vegas, the capitol of the new international government and the head quarters for Night People, so there were a lot more Night People in the class than Ruhe was used to seeing. There was a female witch sitting next to him, a male werewolf in the front row, the girl two rows in front looked like a Night Person, but Ruhe wasn't sure what she was, there was a lamia girl and a made vampire guy, who looked like a couple, in the row in front of him and two rows to the right, there was the guy next to the girl in front of Ruhe, who was a Night Person of some sort, and of course there was the girl in front of him who he didn't have a clue about. Ruhe had yet to see her face. She was obviously absorbed in her work, a bunch of star charts; they were totally different from what the rest of the class was doing. Why she was doing something different he didn't know.  
  
Just then the witch sitting next to Ruhe discreetly placed a crumpled note on his desk, and muttered out of the corner of her mouth, "It's for you."  
  
Ruhe uncrumpled the paper; it was a seating chart of the class with everyone's name and where they sat. At the bottom was a note, ~Watch your back and welcome to the school.~ It was signed S-O R.  
  
He wrote on the corner of one of his sheets in his note book, ~Who sent this to me?~  
  
He then turned it toward the witch next to him, Theresa Abforth, short for All bringing forth, the seating said her name was.  
  
Theresa looked at the note and wrote a response in her own note book, ~S-O R.~  
  
~Yeah, but who is S-O R.?~ Ruhe wrote back.  
  
~Figure it out your d*mn self! It's not that hard!~ she wrote back, ~Even Louis Aveceado figured if out on his own!~  
  
Ruhe consulted the seating chart, Louis Aveceado, he discovered, was the werewolf. Werewolves as a majority were rather stupid, how he got in an Honors class Ruhe didn't know.  
  
Ruhe studied the chart; he found that the girl two rows ahead's name was Becky Redfern, yet she didn't look much like a vampire. The lamia girl's name was Thyme Crescent and the made vampire's name was Ross Willis. The girl in front of him's name was Polaris-Willow Redfern and the boy next to her was Sirius-Oak Redfern. 'Three Redferns?' Ruhe thought to himself, 'I didn't know this area was so popular for them to live in.'  
  
Ruhe paused for a second and looked at Sirius-Oak Redfern's name again. Then he looked at the initials under the note and mentally slapped himself across the forehead. 'Well duh!' he thought, 'S-O R.; Sirius-Oak Redfern!' Ruhe couldn't believe he had been so dense.  
  
Theresa had obviously noticed that Ruhe had figured it out and wrote him a note, ~Took you long enough, Drache.~  
  
~How did you know my name?!~ Ruhe wrote back, bewildered.  
  
~It's a small school; news of you and your cousin has been flying around all morning!~  
  
'Great!' Ruhe thought to himself. He had been hoping to keep a low profile, but that was obviously impossible.  
  
Just then the teacher announced that it was time to change classes. Polaris-Willow and Becky Redfern were already hurrying out of the door together when Ruhe was getting out of his seat. But Sirius-Oak Redfern met Ruhe's gaze and a silent agreement was formed… they would talk at lunch. Ruhe nodded and Sirius-Oak disappeared into the halls.  
  
Ruhe checked his schedule and found he had European and American literature Honors next. In the class they would be reading works from some of his favorite authors: Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickinson, Jane Austin and Mark Twain. Ruhe liked to keep it quiet that he liked to read, most people thought you were weird if you liked to read.  
  
"Relina Harman, that was a cruel trick! How could you do that?! You made her late!" a female voice shouted, dragging Ruhe back to that present.  
  
"I have no idea what you are talking about!" another female voice fired back indignantly. Ruhe searched for the sources and saw a blond haired, brown eyed girl fuming at a tall ebony haired and gray-eyed girl. They looked about the same age and were both witches, Harmans. Looking at them he was vividly reminded of Hellewise and her sister, the first vampire, Maya. The blond looked exactly like Hellewise Hearth-woman was said to look like and the black haired girl looked like Maya, except for the eyes. Both of them, though, seemed to be oblivious to the crowd that was gathering around them.  
  
"Don't you dare give me that crap Relina!" the blond girl shouted at the black haired girl, whose name, apparently, was Relina, "I know you put that hex on her lock!"  
  
"So what?! You can't prove a thing!" Relina shot back haughtily.  
  
"Like hell I can't!" the other girl snapped, "I know the feel of your majick as well as I know my own! So give me the damn truth!"  
  
"Screw you, Saphrin! What can you do to me if I don't?!" Relina demanded of the other girl, who was apparently called Saphrin.  
  
"I can put your whole diary up on the internet," Saphrin informed her pleasantly.  
  
"Impossible!" Relina scoffed, but there was a small quaver in her voice, "You can't get to it!"  
  
"You want to bet your reputation on that?" Saphrin challenged her, smirking.  
  
Relina narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together, "You are so going to pay for this!" she assured Saphrin.  
  
"Perhaps," Saphrin conceded, with a faint look of triumph, "but not today. Today you are going to apologize to her and swear you won't do it again!"  
  
Relina stood there for a few seconds, glaring at Saphrin, then she spun around and stormed off down the hall looking furious.  
  
The crowd that had gathered burst into applause. Saphrin looked around, grinned and gave a mock curtsy. She sauntered over to where Theresa Abforth, Thyme Crescent, Becky and Polaris-Willow (whose profile he could just barely see) Redfern and a few other girls were standing, laughing. They gave Saphrin high-fives. The crowd quickly dispersed, everyone hurrying to their classes.  
  
Ruhe checked his watch. "Oh, sh*t!" he almost shouted, he was going to be late for class. Ruhe took off at a run, dodging people.  
  
  
  
"So, were you serious when you said that you would put Lina's diary on the net?" asked Briar Blackthorn.  
  
"No, it was a bluff," Saphrin laughed, "I have no clue as to where it is."  
  
"Damn! It figures," Briar muttered under her breath. Briar was another distant cousin of Polaris-Willow's. Briar's mother was Jez Redfern Blackthorn (whose real name was Jezabele, but she never let anyone call her that) who was another Wild Power. Jez and Briar's father, Morgead Blackthorn, had been friends almost their whole lives, they found out that they were soulmates around the time of the Millenium. Briar, like her parents, had a kind of "Bad Girl" image, her long wild mane of curly red hair was like her mother's and her gem green eyes were like her father's. She too was a Night Person hunter, and not a purebred; she was a quarter human (from her mother) and the rest vampire.  
  
Briar adjusted her leather jacket then asked, "So, who's going to Circle tonight?"  
  
"Ross and I are," Thyme Crescent said.  
  
"Me too, so's Lina," Saphrin assured her.  
  
"I am and as Polaris-Willow so eloquently informed me last period, she is as well," Becky said, pointedly looking at Polaris-Willow.  
  
"Don't go into specifics about it!" Saphrin told her, "I really don't want to know."  
  
Becky and Polaris-Willow laughed.  
  
"What about Vega?" Thyme asked.  
  
"She'll be there," Polaris-Willow assured her, "She's getting in this afternoon."  
  
"So, how was it having your own room?" Briar asked, "You moving to the attic soon?"  
  
"Hated it and yes," Polaris-Willow informed her.  
  
"If you hated it, then why are you going to get your own room?" Thyme asked, in her usual naïveté.  
  
"I only hated it because there were constant reminders of Vega-Iris's absence," Polaris-Willow told her patiently, "She'll be going on more trips so not having the constant reminders will make things easier."  
  
"Oh!" Thyme said, finally getting it.  
  
Thyme wasn't stupid, just naïve. That was "her part" in their group. Their "group" as they called it was just a small group of girls. They were all Night People, it wasn't that they had anything against humans, most of them were part human and they had human friends, it was just that they had grown up together on the same street, Redthorn Road. It was sort of an unofficial rule that only Night People lived on Redthorn Road. There were humans that lived there, but they were Old Souls, the soulmates of Night People or both. The kids from R.R. stuck together pretty much, formed their own Club. Within the Club were groups; the groups went by gender and age more or less. Their group was composed of Polaris-Willow, Vega-Iris, Saphrin, Briar, Thyme, Theresa, and sometimes Relina. Most of the time Relina preferred to hang out with the witches that were more like her, liked to toy with people, Saphrin completely detested this. But even without Relina they were a complete group. They all had their "parts": Saphrin was the "mother" in the group, she settled the spats. Briar was the "bad girl", she came up with a lot of the dangerous stunts. Thyme was the "little sister", even though she was three months older than Polaris- Willow, she was so naïve at times. Theresa was the quiet one, she rarely said much, but when she did it was something important. She was also the artist; she was rarely without paint on her face and/or hands. Vega-Iris was the "conscience" of the group, when ever Polaris-Willow, Becky and/or Briar was about to do something dangerous she would always try to talk them out of it. Polaris-Willow and Briar were the "rebels", they didn't really fall under any of the normal stereotypes, they sort of were all of them. Polaris-Willow was also the secretive one, but none of her friends knew it and she didn't intend for them to find out any time soon.  
  
To be continued… 


	3. Part 3

Sorry it took me so long to get this out, first I couldn't find the diskette that I had this chapter on and when I did the diskette I found out that it was ruined and I had to retype this chapter. Grrrrrr…technology. Anywho, hope you enjoy this; I will try to get the next part out as soon as possible.  
  
True Trust  
  
Part: 3  
  
Polaris-Willow turned to ask Saphrin what the name of the hex was that Relina had put on her locker when someone bumped into her. Polaris-Willow looked for the perpetrator finding the new boy a step ahead of her running at top speed. If he said an apology Polaris-Willow couldn't hear it.  
  
"Watch where you're going!" Polaris-Willow snapped, he just kept going, not looking back.  
  
"Well he seems rater rude!" Thyme commented, looking shocked.  
  
"Yeah, but he does have a nice butt," Briar said, a wicked grin on her face.  
  
"Oooooo…yeah!" Becky agreed grinning.  
  
"I'll give him that," Polaris-Willow conceded eyeing Ruhe's backside.  
  
They all burst out laughing.  
  
"Well this is my stop," Polaris-Willow said, a grin still on her face.  
  
"Thank you for traveling Redthorn Club Airlines. Please watch your step and we had better see you at lunch," Briar said mimicking a flight attendant's voice.  
  
The group laughed and shook their heads in turn at Briar's antics.  
  
"Later," Polaris-Willow laughed.  
  
"Merry part," Saphrin replied, "'till we meet again."  
  
"All aboard for Physics, Chemistry, Economics and U.S. History!" Briar hollered, "Chuga-chuga choo-choo!"  
  
Polaris-Willow watched her friends take off down the hall in a single file line playing "train."  
  
She then straitened up held her head high and opened the door to the classroom. She carelessly closed the door behind her and sauntered to her seat.  
  
"Ms. Redfern, would you care to enlighten us as to why you are late?" the teacher, Ms. Macloud, asked in her Scottish accent, an eyebrow raised enquiringly.  
  
"There was a very interesting display going on in the hallway," Polaris- Willow answered lightly, "I merely stopped to watch."  
  
"And what, pray tell, was this…display about?" Ms. Macloud asked in an equally light voice, crossing her arms.  
  
"Saphrin Harman biting Relina Harman's head off," Polaris-Willow answered in the same tone, "The dialogue was quite interesting. Would you like me to repeat it to you?"  
  
"Seeing as how this is an argument between the Harman girls we are talking about I have on doubts that the language was quite…colorful. So I must ask you to refrain from telling us what it was, besides if I am not mistaken, I'm sure most of the school heard it," Ms. Macloud remarked dryly with laughter in her eyes.  
  
There was stifled laughter from everyone.  
  
"Now down to business," Ms. Macloud began, there were groans all around the room, "I am going to ask you to act out some of the scenes from Twelfth Night."  
  
"But we haven't even started it yet!" protested Christina North. Christina was Philip Noth's, Poppy's twin brother, daughter.  
  
"That is the whole idea, I want you to act on instinct."  
  
"That's cool," Polaris-Willow said enthusiastically, almost everyone groaned.  
  
Ms. Macloud, in Polaris-Willow's opinion, was one of the coolest teachers in the school; she was human, but she wasn't at all scared of her Night World students; she treated them just like her human ones. She also had been working for Circle Daybreak since before the Millennium, just like Polaris-Willow's parents, Poppy, James and all the adults on Redthorn Road.  
  
"Thank you Polaris," Ms. Macloud smiled, "How would you like to start us off?"  
  
"I'm game."  
  
"Great! Who wants to pair up with her?" Ms. Macloud asked enthusiastically, looking around the room.  
  
"I will," came a male voice from behind Polaris-Willow. Polaris-Willow turned around to find who had spoken.  
  
"Well I am glad to see that you want to get started right away on your first day, Ruhe! Come on up to the front you two."  
  
~*~  
  
Ruhe eyed Polaris-Willow as he walked to the front of the class, and she eyed him right back, insolently. 'She's got guts,' Ruhe thought to himself. She of course knew who he was, but she stared right back at him when most others would have shied away, anyone who did that was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Ruhe was betting on the former, because it was obvious that she was intelligent, she just wasn't afraid of him. Ruhe looked Polaris-Willow up and down; she was about half a head shorter than he with calm blue eyes and ash blond hair.  
  
Ruhe carried his copy of Twelfth Night with him, but he noticed that Polaris-Willow did not. 'Great, is she one of those flirt types?' Ruhe groaned inwardly. She didn't look or act like that type, but still…  
  
"Let's read Act Four Scene One," Polaris-Willow rapped out, more of a command than a suggestion, "I'll be the Clown and you can be Sebastian."  
  
Clown/Polaris-Willow: Will you make me believe that I am not sent for you? (she said this in a sarcastic voice, not once looking at the book.)  
  
Sebastian/Ruhe: Go to, go to, thou art a foolish fellow: Let me be clear of thee (he said this beseechingly, closing the book at the last line.)  
  
Clown: Well held out i'faith! No, I do not know you; nor I am not sent by my lady to bid you come speak with her; nor your name is not Master Cesario; nor this is not my nose neither (pointing to her nose.) Nothing that is so is so.  
  
Sebastian: I prithee, vent thy folly somewhere else: Thou know'st me not.  
  
Clown: Vent my folly! (sounding shocked) he has heard that word of some great man and now applies it to a fool. Vent my folly! I am afraid that this great lubber, the world will prove a cockney. I prithee now ungrid thy strangeness and tell me what shall I vent to my lady: shall I vent to her that thou art coming?  
  
Sebastian: I prithee foolish Greek depart from me: There's money for thee (pretending to place money in her hand, not touching her): if you tarry longer I shall give thee worse payment.  
  
Clown: By my troth, thou hast an open hand. Thew wise men that give fools money get themselves a good report – After fourteen years purchase.  
  
Polaris-Willow and Ruhe stopped, waiting for Ms. Macloud to either join in or appoint some students to. But she didn't, she just stared at them in slight shock.  
  
"Do Act Three Scene One, Polaris be the Clown again and Ruhe be Cesario," Ms. Macloud told them, "No books."  
  
Cesario/Ruhe: Save thee friend, and thy music: dost thou live by thy tabor?  
  
Clown/Polaris-Willow: No, Sir, I live by the church.  
  
Cesario: Art thou a churchman?  
  
Clown: No such matter, sir: I do live by the church; for I live at my house, and my house doth stand by the church.  
  
Cesario: So thou mayst say, the king lies by a beggar, if a beggar dwell near him; or , the church stands by thy tabor, if thy tabor doth stand by the church.  
  
Clown: You have said, sir. To see this age! A sentence is but a cheveril glove to a good wit; how quickly the wrong side may be turned outward!  
  
"Now Act One Scene Five," Ms. Macloud rapped out, looking intrigued, "Polaris be Maria and Ruhe be the Clown."  
  
Maria/Polaris-Willow: Nay, either tell me where thou hast been, or I will not open my lips so wid as a bristle may enter in way of thy excuse: my lady will hang thee for thy absence.  
  
Clown/Ruhe: Let her hang me: he that is well hanged in this world needs to fear no colors.  
  
Maria: Make that good.  
  
Clown: He shall see none to fear.  
  
Maria: A good Lenten answer: I can tell thee where that saying was born, of 'I fear no colors.'  
  
Clown: Where good Mistress Mary?  
  
Maria: In the wars; and that you may be bold as to say it in your foolery.  
  
Clown: Well, God give them wisdom, that have it; and those that are fools let them use their talents.  
  
Maria: Yet you will be hanged for being so long absent; or, to be turned away, is not that as good as hanging to you?  
  
Clown: Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage; and for turning away, let summer bear it out.  
  
"Enough," Ms. Macloud announced, "would you two mind telling me why you know this play word for word?"  
  
"I was in the play last year," Ruhe explained.  
  
"Twelfth Night has been my favorite book since I was little," Polaris- Willow said, almost defiantly.  
  
"And have either of you possibly read any other books?"  
  
Polaris-Willow sighed and started ticking titles off her fingers, "Pride and Prejudice; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Comedy of Errors; Tempest; Taming of the Shrew; Midsummer Night's Dream; Jane Eyre; As You Like It; Persuasions; Emma."  
  
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Taming of the Shrew; A Christmas Carol; Hamlet; Macbeth; The Great Gatsby; As You Like It; Wuthering Heights; Pride and Prejudice," Ruhe rattled off.  
  
"What? No Romeo and Juliet?" Ms Macloud asked with just a hint of sarcasm.  
  
"I knew I forgot something," Polaris-Willow said, snapping her fingers in mock disappointment.  
  
"Sorry, do you want me to add that to my list?" Ruhe said a second later.  
  
"Both of you, enough," Ms. Macloud ordered, "Now, have you read any poetry to compliment that book list?"  
  
"Yes," Polaris-Willow and Ruhe answered at the same time, they turned and glared at each other.  
  
"Edgar Allen Poe 'The Raven'?"  
  
"Take thy beak from out my heart,…" Ruhe started.  
  
"…and take thy form from off my door!" Polaris-Willow continued.  
  
"Quoth the raven,…" Ruhe added.  
  
"Nevermore!" they finished together.  
  
"Stanza 17," Polaris-Willow stated, "though I prefer Emily Dickenson myself."  
  
"I knew I should have asked you what books you had read…both of you," Ms. Macloud groaned.  
  
Snickers came from the class, but were silenced by a glare from Ms. Macloud.  
  
"Since both of you have read most of the reading list and then some, I will have a slightly different reading list for you, and a way to test you on the books you have read already. Now both of you, please, sit down."  
  
"Well, well, the goody-goodies get on the teacher's good side, surprise, surprise," came a mocking voice.  
  
"Get bent and die, smart ass," Polaris-Willow said sweetly, not looking at the speaker.  
  
Ruhe looked around and was a handsome and arrogant looking vampire with red hair and golden hawk eyes, obviously a descendent of Hunter Redfern.  
  
"Shove it up your - ," the Redfern snarled.  
  
"Finish that sentence and you will have detention for a week, Brush Redfern!" Ms. Macloud informed him sharply.  
  
Polaris-Willow coolly sat down in her seat next to Brush. Ruhe took his seat behind Brush.  
  
"Half-breed bitch!" Brush quietly spat at Polaris-Willow.  
  
"A half-breed bitch I may be, but at least I am not a murdering bastard," Polaris-Willow informed him coldly and calmly. Ruhe noticed that her eyes were a fierce green that belied her calm exterior.  
  
'Weird, I thought that her eyes were blue,' Ruhe thought to himself, he shrugged the thought off as he heard Ms. Macloud announce the end of the period.  
  
"Polaris; Ruhe," Ms. Macloud called, "I would like to speak to the both of you for a few minutes, I believe that you two have a free period now?" more a statement than a question. They both nodded. "Good I want to talk to you both about how class is going to work out for you."  
  
'Great,' Ruhe thought, 'This is going to be a long period.'  
  
TBC 


	4. Part 4

Part 4  
  
Polaris-Willow had actually been planning on contacting Thierry Descuedres about her assignment for this weekend. She really didn't want to stay here with this 'shifter, but since it was a Friday and she would see Thierry at the meeting that evening she had no reason to object. As Brush slinked past her on his way to the door he hissed in her ear, "Abomination!" "Look who's talking," Polaris-Willow muttered back ironically. It was all she could do not to pull out one of her knives with wood in it she had hidden and kill him then and there. Goddess, she hated Brush and all of his "little friends". Brush and his group of friends were members of a group of renegade Night People called Cult Midnight, the believed that the Night World should be in charge and the humans should only be slaves and food. They also based a lot on the "purity" of blood; they believed that species shouldn't intermarry, especially not with humans. Polaris-Willow and her friends were on the other end of the spectrum, they were members of Circle Dawn, a small group of humans, Night People and mixed-breeds who had trouble fitting in and/or they had a problem with Cult Midnight, Polaris-Willow was the "and factor". Thierry, who headed up the Night People's part of the Day World-Night World joint council, also headed up Circle Dawn. The Circle met every Friday and discussed how they felt, what had been happening, hung out and some of the older members received assignments against renegade groups like Cult Midnight. The younger members, ones who weren't in high school yet, came a little later and got to interact with the older members, but were never told about the assignments. All of Polaris-Willow's brothers and sisters went to the meetings. Polaris-Willow sighed inwardly and focused on what Ms. Macloud was saying. ".have you do your own interpretations of the plays that we will be doing and you will present them to the class, I want you two to work together on this. You can ask other students to do parts for this. All right?" "Yes Ms. Macloud." "Yes ma'am." Ruhe and Polaris-Willow said at the same time. They glared at eachother. "And please try to get along," Ms. Macloud pleaded. Polaris-Willow nodded and Ruhe muttered, "Yes ma'am." "You may go." Polaris-Willow and Ruhe turned and walked out the door. Once they were a ways down the hall Ruhe turned to Polaris and asked, "So what do people call you? Polaris? Willow? P.W.? Polar? Will? Polara? Willa? Ice Woman?" "They call me Polaris-Willow. That do speak of me," Polaris-Willow told him coolly. "How about Polara the curst?" Ruhe offered mockingly. Polaris-Willow stopped abruptly, spun and looked at Ruhe, her calm mask, for that was all it was, a mask, was replaced with a look of astonishment, slight horror and a touch of fear. Ruhe looked back at her, completely bewildered by her reaction to what he had said; he had no idea what the words they had just spoken meant to her. Polaris-Willow quickly covered up her reaction and replaced it with he calm mask again, hoping that the turmoil that was inside her wasn't showing in the color of her eyes. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet," she quipped. "Touché," Ruhe conceded with a salute, "So why do you and that Redfern have a problem with each other? i.e. why did he call you a half- breed bitch and why did you call him a murdering bastard?" "The answer to the first part is I am half human and half vamp, not that it's any of your business, and the answer to the second part is on a need to know basis and you don't need to know," Polaris-Willow told him flatly, "Now, if you will excuse me, I have things to do." Polaris-Willow turned and started down the hall. "Wait! Shouldn't we start talking about the project?" Ruhe called after her. Polaris-Willow stopped, sighed and turned, "Sirius-Oak invited you to lunch didn't he?" she asked, with a touch of annoyance. Ruhe nodded. "Well I will see you then." With that she turned again and continued on her way, thinking, 'I must be out of my friggin mind.' 


	5. Part 5

True Trust Part 5  
  
Ruhe watched Polaris-Willow's retreating form with a great amount of confusion. She was probably the greatest enigma he had ever encountered. He shook his head. 'That is one weird girl,' he thought to himself. The bell rang, jerking him out of his thoughts. Ruhe had to think for a moment about what period it was and where he was supposed to be. 'Let's see.Astronomy, English and free period so that makes it.' "Lunch," he murmured to himself finishing his own thought out loud. He headed down stairs to the cafeteria. Ruhe pushed open the doors and as immediately bombarded with sights and sounds. After the almost silent hallway he found himself extremely disoriented walking into this noisy room. "Hey are you going to just stand there all day gawking?" an annoyed voice behind him asked. Ruhe turned around and found himself eye to eye with a fierce looking girl with wild red hair, blazing green eyes that bored into him and a lot of black leather. "Well?" she asked impatiently. Ruhe got out of her way as fast as was humanly - Er - Uh - Um - 'shifterly (I don't think there is such a word, but what am I supposed to do? He is a 'shifter, not a human!) possible. "Watch your back, Drache," she warned him as she stalked away. Ruhe watched her go feeling an odd mixture of anger, fear, confusion, annoyance and relief. "Briar Blackthorn: wears black leather, rides a motorcycle and does crazy stunts, your stereotypical bad girl. But as long as you don't get on her bad side she won't do much more than bite your head off occasionally," came a male voice from behind Ruhe. He turned around to see Sirius-Oak sauntering toward him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ruhe Drache," Sirius-Oak said holding out his hand to Ruhe. "Likewise Sirius-Oak Redfern," Ruhe answered taking Sirius-Oak's hand and shaking it, "no offense but you seem to be the first rational Night Person I have met." "Actually, basically everyone associated with Circle Dawn is very sane.with your few exceptions of course," Sirius-Oak said in a rather matter-of-fact voice. "Ok point one: how did you know I'm with Circle Dawn? Point two: would Polaris-Willow, Saphrin and Relina Harman, Brush Redfern and Briar Blackthorn happen to be among the few exceptions?" Ruhe asked. "Answers to point one: a. Thierry told me you were coming. b. I would have to be an absolute idiot not to know who you are. Answers to point two: Brush isn't one of us, but he, in my opinion as well as everyone else's, is insane. Saphrin on the other hand is as sane as they come, she just has a temper when someone does something that is mean to someone she cares about, especially if the person doing the mean thing is someone she cares about as well. Lina.well I don't know where you would put her she hates Cult Midnight just as much as the rest of us. But she doesn't always act like a member of Circle Dawn. And I have to say that I have often questioned her sanity, myself. Briar is just a rebel, not insane. And as for Polaris-Willow, my sister." he trailed off looking at Ruhe pointedly. Ruhe's mouth dropped open slightly and he started stumbling over words. "Wwell.not - insane per say." trailing off looking visibly embarrassed, trying to cover up his blunder. Sirius-Oak nodded and grinned with humor and understanding in his expression. "It's ok," Sirius-Oak assured Ruhe, " I can understand why you could view her attitude like that. No, Polaris is not insane, she's just." he trailed off trying to think of a way to describe her, "well she's.Polaris, that's the only way you can describe it," he finished with a shrug, "Follow me, we'll go sit with the crowd." Ruhe nodded and started to followed Sirius-Oak when he heard a sneering voice. "Hey vermin, why don't you go back to where you came from, or can't they stand your ugly face?" Ruhe and Sirus-Oak turned, looking for the source. Ruhe noticed that Sirius-Oak was suddenly tense, alert; his hand, automatically, went to his back, as if he was reaching for something. "Oh, shit!" Sirius-Oak swore under his breath, "Brush and his gang are picking on your cousin!" he said to Ruhe, pointing to where Brush and a group were standing infront of Nícola holding her backpack out of her reach. They both headed over to the trouble but halfway there Sirius-Oak stopped and put out his arm to stop Ruhe. "What? Why are we stopping?" Ruhe asked his worry for his cousin very evident. "There's someone closer who will help her," Sirius-Oak said, a smirk on his face, "And Brush Redfern is going to be sorry." Ruhe looked around and saw Polaris-Willow was basically right behind Brush. "Don't you have some thing to do other than pick on poor human girls, Brush? Tests to fail, school property to deface?" Polaris-Willow asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "And don't you have some relatives to visit in the pound Luna?" she asked a female werewolf next to Brush. "Shut up, half-breed!" Brush snarled, "This doesn't concern you!"  
  
~*~  
  
"When something involves you," Polaris-Willow said sweetly, "It always concerns me. In more ways than one. Brush quickly glanced at his four buddies, two on either side of him, sizing up his odds and apparently liking them. "Better back down while you can, mutt," Brush jeered. "You can't win, Brush," she replied, looking relaxed and confident on the outside. But underneath she was tense and ready. "Just give Nícola her backpack, now." "Make me," Brush said as he and his buddies started tossing the bag around over Polaris-Willow and Nícola's reach. Brush was tossing it to a witch girl named Onyx; Polaris-Willow was getting ready to tackle her for it, when a hand shot out and easily grabbed it in midair. Polaris-Willow followed the hand back to its owner and felt shock course through her. Holding Nícola's backpack was a really tall - Um - Uh - guy (that was the only word Polaris-Willow could find that could really be used in terms of him, even though that didn't even really say everything. You couldn't call him a boy or young man because he had an - oldness about him, but calling him a man somehow degraded him.) His hair was midnight black, longish and uneven; it more often than not fell in his equally dark eyes so you couldn't really see them. His skin was tanned, but it was always that color, word had it he was from an enclave in Egypt. He had a small tattoo on his left cheek, that was the only mark on his face. All in all he was drop-dead gorgeous.and of course a vampire. He was wearing a long sleeved black shirt and long black pants (the attire he wore everyday), both of which were really baggy and worn. There were holes and tears all over his clothes. Why he wore such ragged clothes, Polaris- Willow could not fathom, she had heard - from reliable sources - that he had enough money to by nice, new clothes. He turned and glared at Brush and his group, his eyes black ice, shining from behind his hair. Brush n' co. cringed. When he spoke his voice was colder than the coldest winter, every time Polaris-Willow heard him speak she though that it sounded like something in him had died, like something or someone had shattered his heart and ripped his soul out. It made her mourn for him; for what ever he had lost. "Get - lost," he said in a deadly voice, bringing his face inches from Brush's, intimidatingly. Brush and his buddies ran off like scared little kids. He stood up strait and turned to Polaris-Willow and Nícola, his face blank. He extended Nícola's bag to her. "Here," he said, his voice no longer as cold as it had been when he had been speaking to Brush and his gang, but it wasn't warm either. She took it and timidly said, "Thank you," with a small, shy smile on her face. To Polaris-Willow's complete astonishment he smiled a genuine smile back, something he never did. "Thank you for helping, Hemlock," Polaris-Willow said sincerely. Hemlock nodded, turned away and left without another word. Polaris-Willow and Nícola watched him leave, he quickly disappeared into the crowed, strangely enough, since he seemed like he should have stood out like a multifaceted diamond among a bunch of spherical quartz stones. Hemlock Redfern was a great guy, he seemed to like Circle Dawn, he treated them with respect and.well.Polaris-Willow didn't know exactly what it was that you would call what he also treated them with, it wasn't friendship, but it wasn't indifference either, it was something in between. However he mad it no secret that he hated absolutely hatedCult Midnight and Cult Midnight was terrified and resentful of him. Polaris-Willow had the feeling that Hemlock hated Cult Midnight more than she did, but she didn't know why. "Come on," Polaris-Willow said gently and kindly to Nícola, putting a comforting arm around Nícola's shoulders, "I'll introduce you to some 'nice kids.'" "Though some might say that that's debatable," she added in a mutter, causing Nícola to giggle.  
  
~*~  
  
Polaris-Willow took Nícola to a door at one of the far sides of the cafeteria and lead her inside. Inside was a room with tables, chairs, couches and a stereo, which was blasting music in one corner. It was full of teens and not just any teens, Night World teens. Most of the kids were Night World except for three that looked like Old Souls and two that were regular humans. "Words, words, words!" a boy, who Nícola thought was an Old Soul, said lightly. "Words, where is the rhyme or reason in them?" Polaris-Willow spoke up. The boy smiled, "That we can say so much and have it mean so little," he said. "Or we can say so little and have it mean so much?" Polaris-Willow added. "For little children words are the world," the girl next to the boy, who Nícola also suspected to be an Old Soul, said. "But for me they can mean nothing at all," a brown haired, golden eyed girl said with a sparkle of laughter in her eyes. "To quote Everclear's "Wonderful," "I don't belive you when you say, 'Everything will be wonderful some day. Promises mean everything when your little." a girl with dark skin and black hair said in a clear voice. "Words mean nothing to so many people," Sirius-Oak said in a rather sad voice. "What are words?" asked a younger boy. "But sounds that we make with our mouths and throats; scribblings on paper," said a freshman girl next to Sirius-Oak. "Sounds and scribblings that we assign individual meaning to," said a female witch with blond hair and blue eyes. "The only power and worth that they have is that which we give to them," said the other girl that Nícola thought was an Old Soul. "So what are words?" asked Saphrin. "Nothing," ended Briar. 


End file.
